


The Dangers of Airport Crowds and Blue Hats

by wingedlioness



Series: bunny comedy [11]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 04:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13227675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingedlioness/pseuds/wingedlioness
Summary: Prompt I ran across on tumblr: gave a running hug to the wrong person at the airport and knocked you to the ground AU





	1. Tackle 1

Emma pushed on to her toes, craning her neck to try and see over the mass of people. Why David decided to fly home on the busiest possible travel day was beyond her. At least the car ride out of Logan was guaranteed to be long enough with the holiday traffic for a buttload of “I told you so”s. The airport was a sea of red and green, it really shouldn’t be so hard to find a tall guy in a menorah hat… there! Emma spied the atrocity from a carousel away. She grinned, pleased to have yet another “I told you so” to claim as well as the fact he was actually wearing her previous year’s gag gift.

She weaved in and out of the crowd, keeping an eye trained on the obnoxious blue whilst trying to dodge elbows and scarves and suitcases. She reached the edge of one group, and saw a break and ran towards the man.

Emma’s arms were already circling the lean frame when it occurred to her that the height was off. Her second thought was that he smelled fantastic. Her momentum sent the pair stumbling, the stranger staggering under her surprise weight right into the luggage in front of him.

“Bloody-”

“Whoa!”

David’s voice beside them had her scrambling to extract herself from the wrong person, embarrassment threatening to set her on fire.

“Shit shit shit, I’m so sorry, I thought you were David.”

Her best friend was nearly crying from laughter, completely unhelpful in her recovery, and she tossed him a glare as the other person twisted under her unsuccessful attempts to get upright. Emma turned back to apologize again, and the words stuck in her throat. Mesmerizing blue eyes stared back at her, dark scruff lined a jaw that drew her attention directly to a pair of very inviting lips. She was vaguely aware of David talking as the mouth ticked up. She tore her eyes away to see an eyebrow raise, and realized his arms had slid under hers to steady her as he pulled them upright.

David finally recovered enough to start righting their bags, and patted her on the back. “Emma, this is Killian Jones. He’s the surprise!”

“Surprise?”

“Remember?” He sighed at her. “I told you I was bringing back something from London, I was helping him pack up to move over here.”

Emma shook off the staring contest she found herself in. “Wait, I thought you went to London to get a ring for Mary Margaret.”

“Didn’t you hear me? I just said that he provides the best cover.”

She could feel Killian’s smirk on her, and her blush renewing as a result. David thankfully seemed oblivious as to whatever was going on in front of him. Not that there was anything. She just humiliated the crap out of herself in front of an incredibly hot guy and he was evidently David’s best friend that wasn’t her or his girlfriend and she had completely spaced out when David started introducing them earlier. When she was wrapped up in his arms. Shit.

“This way Mary Margaret won’t suspect that I went there for any reason other than to help a friend move, and you’ll distract her with her need to welcome him here properly while I set up the proposal.”

David bounced off, leaving Emma gaping as to what on earth just happened.

Killian plopped the blue monstrosity that started everything on her head, tucking an errant hair behind her ear. He flashed her a smile as he arranged one bag over his shoulder before grabbing the handle of his suitcase.

“I have a feeling we’re going to make an excellent team, Emma.” He brushed past her, but paused to whisper in her ear, “although next time, don’t look for excuses to be in my arms, luv.”

Aggravation, embarrassment, no small amount of lust, and a hint of hope warred within her as he attempted to wink, and he followed after David before she recovered enough to respond. This… was not good. Not good at all.


	2. Tackle 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unplanned followup, also unedited.

Emma was going to kill him. David kept delaying. They arrived right after Hanukkah ended, so that was out. The whole situation would be hilarious if all David was doing was planning proposals, and then chickening out. But each scheme had to involve distraction and deception, and Killian. She couldn’t find a respite from that last one, and she couldn’t figure out how she felt about it.

 

“He’s never going to propose is he?” Emma sank into the couch, curling her legs under her.

Killian took the second glass from her hand gratefully. “I believe it was something about ‘proposing on New Year's is so cliche, she deserves something special!’”

She groaned and let her head drop back on to where his arm was draped along the couch. He chuckled, prosthetic nudging her to up his shoulder. With David and Mary Margaret being all flirty in the kitchen, she allowed him to, hiding her face in his collar with another dramatic groan. She reveled in the way his laugh reverberated against her nose, but her eyes flew open when his arm tentatively brushed against her back. 

“One thing Dave’s nonsense has proven, Swan, is that we make quite the team.”

Emma pulled away, not bothering to even mutter an excuse as she ran off to the bathroom.  

She clutched the sides of the sink, every glance in the mirror showed her flushed face, and every time she closed her eyes, she pictured the slightly heartbroken look on his face when she had left his arms. 

He was right, that was her problem. They did make a great team. And it was scaring her. He was charming (though not nearly as much as he thought), clever, funny, and with just enough self-deprecation to be endearing. He’d been handsome when she first tackled him, even with that stupid hat, but as she got to know him? It had been a week, and her attraction had only grown. It was taking every wall she had to remember: handsome men weren’t to be trusted. 

 

***

 

Christmas Eve had seen them dragging Mary Margaret caroling. David was to show up midway, dressed to the nines, and sing some sappy love song before going to one knee. It was going to be very romantic, and epic. Exactly what he insisted she deserved.

 

Instead they froze their butts off wandering Storybrooke, and Emma had to endure Killian’s swoon-inducing tenor for three hours. Oh, and the way his smell surrounded her from his scarf. Then there were the looks Mary Margaret kept shooting them, the way she linked arms with Ruby and Dorothy, not bothering to wait for them as Killian tugged his scarf around her neck, tucking it in to her jacket when Emma thought she was going to shiver apart. It was worse that Killian hadn’t even noticed their leaving. He just rubbed her shoulders, and bent his knees while his eyes caught hers, filled with concern. 

She felt a lot warmer after that. 

 

And even warmer when they confronted David later, Killian standing solidly in her space, backing her up to David’s excuses. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had someone in her corner like that. The heated glances she could feel him giving her compounding it.

“She’s Jewish! She hates how much Christmas overshadows everything.” That line was actually a bit funny, watching Killian’s jaw drop as they looked around the over-decorated loft, gigantic christmas tree and holly strung everywhere, and remembering how enthusiastic she’d been about caroling. But now...

 

***

 

She shut her eyes and thumped her forehead against the mirror. 

“Hey, Emma?”

“Mm?” David’s voice was just barely audible through the door.

“Do you think I’m handsome?”

Emma gave herself a quizzical look. What on earth was he talking about? “Why are you asking me? Are you doubting yourself? Is  _ that  _ why you keep not proposing?”

She heard him mutter something before speaking through the door again. “No, I’m asking if  _ you _ think I’m handsome.”

“Yes, you’re handsome. What the hell is this about?” She opened the door to glare at him properly.

David leaned on the doorframe, and his smug grin faded to a genuine one. “Do you trust me?”

“...yes? Not sure about right now though.”

He laughed, and gave her a quick hug. “Ok, I probably deserved that. Just… I’m handsome and you trust me.”

She shook her head at him as he pulled away. He could not be making more sense. Unless… oh. 

David smiled at her and nodded. “Just, think about it. If you want to, I mean. Maybe we’re not all bad.” He headed back towards the living room, calling over his shoulder. “Taking a chance can be a good thing, Emma.”

She caught the moonlight through the window as her friends all celebrated in the other room. Maybe David was right, maybe she could take a chance. Or she could go outside in the cold and freeze her heart back over so she wouldn’t get hurt. 

 

***

 

It was  _ cold _ . And because she’d ducked out to clear her head, she hadn’t grabbed her jacket. Holy  _ shit, _ it was cold. Emma lasted almost ten minutes before her body berated some sense into her brain. Her teeth were chattering as she ran back into the building, jogging up the stairs to try and regain some feelings in her legs. She made it onto the last landing and barreled straight into a firm, and very warm object. 

 

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, luv.”

“Killian.”

She hadn’t meant for his name to come out so breathlessly, but he was there, arms wrapped around her to keep them from hitting the floor again. His eyebrow quirked up as she melted into his heat, one arm rubbing her back and his hand coming up to brush the hair out of her face. 

“Emma? Is everything o-”

She gripped his lapels and pulled his head down to hers, his lips scorching as she pressed her to them. He groaned into her mouth, and wound his fingers behind her head to pull her tighter. She let go of his jacket to card her fingers through his hair, pressing her torso along his frame. His body drove away the chill, tongues dancing and chests heaving together. 

 

***

 

Mary Margaret peeked out the door to see Emma and Killian locked in an embrace. 

“Finally.”

“Did it work?” David wrapped his arms around her, looking over her shoulder at the couple just outside.

“Yes, thankfully. I was getting really tired of not wearing my ring.” She turned to face him, mischievous grin answering his pout. 

“I will remind you that this matchmaking thing was your idea.”

“Well if you had managed to wait to propose instead of bursting it out the second you got home so we could get them to work together…”

David chuckled at her, and tilted her chin up. “Can you blame me for wanting to marry you so badly?”

“Charmer,” Mary Margaret wrinkled her nose, and kissed him. “That’s cheating.”

He laughed as she snuggled into his chest for a moment before pulling them away from the door. 


End file.
